libcrypto.0.9.5a contains a crypt()  function providing only the simple DES
encrypting. But libcrypt.so (part of glibc) allows MD5 encryption
supporting larger passwords.

E.g. compiling
------- test.cc ------
#define _XOPEN_SOURCE
#include <unistd.h>
#include <iostream>

int main() {
        std::cout << crypt("ABC", "$1$abcdef$") << std::endl;
}
-------

both with -lcrypt and -lcrypto is giving different output:

# g++ /tmp/crypt.cc -lcrypt && ./a.out 
$1$abcdef$huJsPyysqd.RqgtSA1ccS.

# g++ /tmp/crypt.cc -lcrypto && ./a.out 
$1EA5T9lIorRY



So you can loss the capability to use large passwd's if OpenSSL is linked
to the program (I have seen it with cvs-1.11).

Reason seems to lie in crypto/des/fcrypt.c where crypt() is nested in a
complicated #if-#else clause. Perhaps it's fixed in OpenSSL-0.9.6 but I
have no opportunity to test it now.